Vampire (Skulduggery Pleasant)
Vampires '''in the Skulduggery Pleasant Series share many similarities with traditional vampires. They transmit their powers by a bite, are physically stronger than a normal human and are functionally immortal. However there are a number of key differences. SP Vampires are essentially just animals and in their true form are little more than feral beasts with an insatiable thirst for blood. However during the daylight they grow a human skin and are able to pass themselves off as a normal human. They still have access to their vampire physicality but they are nowhere near as strong as their night forms. SP Vampires are also highly allergic to sea water and even a tiny amount causes their throats to close up and suffocate them. SP Vampires are bound only by a code which prevents them from killing another vampire and this code is so deeply ingrained into them that even in their feral true form they do not kill each other. Battle vs. Wendigo (Until Dawn) (by Wassboss) Vampires: Wendigo: It’s a chilly October night and a pack of vampires is on the hunt. Their unfortunate prey tonight is a young mage, probably no more than a hundred years old and ill-equipped to deal with one vampire, let alone the five chasing after him. He stumbles through the thick underbrush, branches tugging at his clothes as he desperately tries to escape his pursuers. The chase is brought to an abrupt halt as the mage finds himself trapped by a sheer rock face. Having no other choice, he attempts to make one final stand, waving his arm to displace the air and sending one of the vampires hurtling back. The gesture is ultimately futile however as the other four vampires pounce upon him immediately, not even giving him enough time to scream before they tear him limb from limb, the thick snow turning crimson with his blood. The vampire who was blown away by the mage goes to join his brethren in their feasting, but his ears prick at the sound of something approaching. A creature bursts out of the underbrush; tall, skeletal thin and pale grey skin uncomfortably stretched across the body. It looks almost like another vampire, but the actual vampires are not fooled and growl menacingly at the new arrival. The wendigo’s gaze flickers between each of the vampires, assessing the new threats to its territory. With a guttural scream it launches itself at the nearest vampire and the two go down in a heap. The other vampires are quick to jump to it’s aid, dragging the wendigo away and set upon it with their claws and teeth. Its thick skin protects it from most of these attacks however and it lashes out with its claws, disembowelling one of the vampires as it drags them against its stomach. Recognising the danger, the other vampires back away a bit as they try to figure out this strange new threat. The wendigo gives them no respite however and again throws itself at the nearest vampire. This time however it is far more prepared and grabs the wendigo’s arm before the claws can reach it, breaking the bone in two with one quick wrench. The creature howls in pain and another vampire tackles it from behind, pinning it to the ground and sinking its jaws into the back of its neck. It squirms underneath but the vampire matches its strength and keeps it pinned down. Straining with all the muscles in its neck the vampire savagely tears the head off the wendigo, tossing it aside like a rag doll as the body below goes limp. The threat appears to be over, but the commotion of the fight has attracted other wendigo in the vicinity. It’s not long before three more wendigos appear out of the forest and are immediately set upon by the vampires. Unused to dealing with something that can actually fight back the wendigo struggle to match the vampires speed and aggression, although their thick hides mean the vampires have a hard time actually harming them. One of the wendigo grabs a vampire and bites down hard on its shoulder, dragging it to the ground yelping. Another vampire is there to aid its companion and hauls the wendigo away, slashing at it wildly with its claws. The injured vampire gets to its feet, bleeding heavily from its shoulder and returns the favour, distracting the wendigo long enough for the other vampire to decapitate it with a powerful swipe to the skull. Heavily outnumbered the wendigo begin to retreat back into the forest with the vampires in hot pursuit. The injured vampire plods after them but quickly becomes separated from the rest as the injury begins to take its toll. A wendigo watching it from the tree tops watches as it stops to rest and slowly begins to sneak towards it. Preoccupied with its injured shoulder the vampire doesn’t notice the wendigo approaching and by the time it gets the scent it is already too late. The wendigo leaps from the branches and pins the vampire to the floor, too weak from blood loss to fight back as the wendigo’s claws tear through its skin and flesh . After the frenzied attack is over and the vampire's body parts are strewn about the area the wendigo rushes off to find more victims. Meanwhile on the top of a cliff face a wendigo has been cornered by a vampire. The two are grappling furiously, biting and scratching at the other with all the aggression they can muster. The vampire is coming off the worst however as the wendigo’s thick skin is protects it from too much damage. A nasty swipe to the jaw sends it reeling and as it steps back its foot slips off of the cliff face and it almost loses it's balance. The wendigo launches itself forward and the vampire grabs it in mid-air, throwing it over its head and off the side of the cliff. However, the wendigo lashes out an arm and grabs onto the vampire’s leg as it falls. The creature tries desperately to grab onto something, but the thick fresh snow gives it little grip and the two fall from the mountain, their bodies smashed to pieces on the rocks below. Further inside the forest the two remaining vampires continue their hunt for wendigos. Having gotten a taste of blood from the fight earlier they follow the trail of one which leads them down into the mines. The scent gets stronger all of sudden, letting the vampires know their quarry is heading right towards them. It dives onto one, raking at its body with its claws. The bloodsucker hurls the cannibal off of it and the other vampire dives onto it while it’s still airborne. With a sickening crunch it slams the wendigo down into the floor, breaking a number of its bones. One big heave later and the its head has been separated from its body . Just them the final wendigo bursts from the darkness slamming into the nearest vampire into one of the mine’s support beams. The ominous rumbling of dislodged rock starts, and the wendigo knows instantly to get out of the area. The unaffected vampire follows but the one that was struck doesn’t have time to escape before it caves in, crushing it under the sheer weight. Having been forced deeper into the mine system by the cave in the last vampire and wendigo continue their deadly battle. Violently grappling they slash and claw and bite and scratch and smack each other about. In their savage battle they inadvertently knock over a gas canister left down by the miners decades ago, the slick black liquid oozing over the floor. The vampire grabs the wendigo in a headlock and flings it away, sending it crashing into a wooden table. This dislodges a lit lantern which smashes on the floor, igniting the gas and setting the Wendigo alight. It begins screeching in agony and writhing about on the floor as the flames spread. The vampire is forced back by the heat and decides to flee, bounding through the winding tunnels of the mine until it finds itself at the mouth of the cave. Far away from the heat caused by the gas, the vampire flexes it’s muscles in the cool air, checking to see how injured it is. Suddenly it gets a whiff of something; a smouldering aroma as if something is being cooked. It’s coming from within the mine and as the vampire turns to investigate a wendigo bursts out of the cave mouth. Grabbing the vampire by the throat it lifts it up into the air choking it. Its already grotesque appearance is made even worse by the horrific burn wounds from the flames, with big crimson burn marks scattered across the body and the skin burnt away completely around the face, making the teeth even more pronounced. The vampire struggles against the powerful grip but each time it does the razor-sharp claws dig further into its neck. Kicking with its feet it scrapes it’s claws against the arm holding it and they slice through like butter. Collapsing to the ground the vampire gets groggily to its feet as the wendigo looks horrified at it’s missing limb. In a mixture of fear, confusion it throws itself at the vampire who easily intercepts the single arm, gripping it tight and feeling the claws dig deep into the flesh. The vampire realises the wendigo’s tough skin is now much weaker and with a quick yank casually tears this arm off as well. Now defenceless the wendigo can do nothing as the vampire grips its head with its hands and crumples the skull, leaving a mushy crushed head behind. Breathing heavily and laboriously in the cold winters chill the vampire notices that dawn is beginning to break over the mountaintops. It hunches over in agony as its human skin begins to grow, trapping the vicious predator within for another day. Now a thinner, scrawnier and very naked human the vampire shivers in the cold. The night’s fighting has taken a heavy toll and his injures are severe, but he will live. His stomach rumbles and he remember he hasn’t eaten at all since at least the day prior. His hungry gaze settles on the Wendigo with interest, the semi cooked flesh looking surprisingly appetising. And after all, why should he let good meat go to waste? '''Winner: Vampires Expert's Opinion When it came down to it these two terrors of the night were evenly matched when it came to their physical capabilities but what gave the Vampires the edge was that they were better mentally. Their ability to work as a team helped them to overcome the more solo orientated Wendigo, who were equally as likely to attack each other as they were the vampires. To see the original battle, weapons and votes, click here. 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